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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mate — a friend
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mate — a partner
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com